A. Villa – Man City 28.09.2013

A. Villa – Man City 28.09.2013

Manchester City produced a masterclass performance last Sunday and won 4:1.

The opponent was the reigning champion Manchester United. Sergio Aguero was the “man of the game” with two goals, while the other two goals were scored by Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri. The atmosphere in the squad is almost perfect, while the players confidence are high as Everest. City are in series of three consecutive victories in all competitions.

Stevan Jovetic was double scorer against Wigan, while the remaining three goals were scored by Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas. But the manager Manuel Pellegrini is still under pressure and his team must continue with the victories. The positive moment for him is that he has no fresh injury concerns and could name the same eleven that beat Manchester United last weekend, with Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo starting up front. The central defender Martin Demichelis, who is yet to make his City debut after joining from Atletico Madrid during the transfer window, also remains sidelined with a knee problem. This game will come too soon for the midfielder David Silva to make his comeback from a thigh strain.

Aston Villa started the season with a surprising victory over Arsenal at Emirats. After that Villa suffered three consecutive defeats, before beat Norwich in the last round. But something else is important for my pick – Villa away results. And they are awful – three games, three defeats.

The bad home form isn’t the only problem for the manager Paul Lambert. The best striker Christian Benteke has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a hip injury. That’s a big handicap for Aston Villa. In addition, Charles N’Zogbia (Achilles) and Jores Okore (anterior cruciate ligament) are long-term absentees.

I believe Manchester City will win this match. The Citizens had four wins on the last four Premier League matches, including two victories at Villa Park. I believe the tradition will continue.